Alyssa & John 9: It’s All About Dressing Up and Looking Perfect on Instagram

[Melissa1977]

Did anybody watched Alyssa's IG stories on the lake? The Webster girls looked sunburnt and it's not the first time. It's very strange that Alyssa does not put sunscreen on them. Maybe it is not because the sun, maybe their faces are red because they run very much, but the colour is suspicious.

[JermajestyDuggar]

10 minutes ago, Melissa1977 said:

Did anybody watched Alyssa's IG stories on the lake? The Webster girls looked sunburnt and it's not the first time. It's very strange that Alyssa does not put sunscreen on them. Maybe it is not because the sun, maybe their faces are red because they run very much, but the colour is suspicious.

They look hot as hell. They might be red from the heat not sunburn. 

[Karma]

Does she ever put them in hats?  Or does that interfere with their hairstyles?  (Sarcasm). Honestly I thought she was using a filter, they all look so burnt.  As an Australian mum, I cannot imagine having had my kids out in the sun when it’s that sunny and hot without hats. 

[0 kids n not countin]

In addition to how burnt or red the kids looked, it also bugged me how she was feeding the baby.  That is, stroller next to her, holding the bottle in baby's mouth, not even paying attention (or so it seems to me) and taking a video with her phone in her other hand.  Maybe it's just me, but wtf???  I don't have kids myself so what do I know, but isn't feeding an infant an opportunity to bond with the baby?

I don't doubt she loves her daughters, but imo she presents as a disinterested mother, or at least as a mother who is not comfortable with children.

Edited August 1, 2021 by 0 kids n not countin
Edited to complete my observation

[CanadianMamam]

13 minutes ago, 0 kids n not countin said:

In addition to how burnt or red the kids looked, it also bugged me how she was feeding the baby.  That is, stroller next to her, holding the bottle in baby's mouth, not even paying attention (or so it seems to me) and taking a video with her phone in her other hand.  Maybe it's just me, but wtf???  I don't have kids myself so what do I know, but isn't feeding an infant an opportunity to bond with the baby?

I don't doubt she loves her daughters, but imo she presents as a disinterested mother, or at least as a mother who is not comfortable with children.

I mean, sure it can be a bonding moments but kids eat an awful lot of times a day and I was definitely guilty of feeding with one hand while doing other things. Especially once I had multiple children. 

[AussieKrissy]

2 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

Did anybody watched Alyssa's IG stories on the lake? The Webster girls looked sunburnt and it's not the first time. It's very strange that Alyssa does not put sunscreen on them. Maybe it is not because the sun, maybe their faces are red because they run very much, but the colour is suspicious.

i thought the same thing, my daughter has multiple sets of swimmers. Her swimming lesson ones are like what the girls were wearing (because her lesson is indoors) her outdoor swimwear is rashies and boardies or if the board shorts give her chub rub i get the bike pants kind of swimmers. my girl is in long sleave and long shirt and a hat where possible. I always notice how hot sweaty and burnt the girls look and her shiny filters make it look worse. For some one so caught up so much in how pretty her girls are she sure likes her some premature aging rays for them. 

[0 kids n not countin]

34 minutes ago, CanadianMamam said:

I mean, sure it can be a bonding moments but kids eat an awful lot of times a day and I was definitely guilty of feeding with one hand while doing other things. Especially once I had multiple children. 

Thank you, didn't mean to offend you or  anyone else here.

[Jackie3]

I'm no expert, but Alyssa and John don't really seem to know how to do social media. Or perhaps it's me. Is a "good" story one where the woman smirking and the man constantly giving a thumbs up? Do people enjoying watching that, over and over? 

I also get tired of seeing pictures of her coffee. I don't understand why it's so exciting that she bought an iced coffee.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Jackie3

[Melissa1977]

7 hours ago, AussieKrissy said:

always notice how hot sweaty and burnt the girls look and her shiny filters make it look worse

I didn't thought about the filters. Her images are not natural, so maybe the girls are not that sunburst in "real life". Maci's skin looked reddish in several videos, but even Alyssa knows a baby cannot be put under the sun. I hope. Please.

[Melissa1977]

8 hours ago, 0 kids n not countin said:

In addition to how burnt or red the kids looked, it also bugged me how she was feeding the baby.  That is, stroller next to her, holding the bottle in baby's mouth, not even paying attention (or so it seems to me) and taking a video with her phone in her other hand.  Maybe it's just me, but wtf???  I don't have kids myself so what do I know, but isn't feeding an infant an opportunity to bond with the baby?

I don't doubt she loves her daughters, but imo she presents as a disinterested mother, or at least as a mother who is not comfortable with children.

You are right, eating is a good time to bond. But as other posters said, with 4 kids, standards relax. Anyway, it is important to look at a baby eating. Alyssa should have put the stroller in front of her, or at least turn it a little, to see Maci drinking. Even when Maci was a newborn, she bottlefeed her without looking at her, which wasn't fair at all (risk of choking). 

 

[Marly]

3 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

 but even Alyssa knows a baby cannot be put under the sun. I hope. Please.

I remember that Lori Alexander's daughter let her baby son (he wasn't a year old yet) get a sun burn. The Alexander's don't believe in sunscreen (Lori is convinced it'll give you cancer), and apparently also don't believe in protecting your baby and children from the sun in other ways.
I hope Alyssa B. knows better.

[SassyPants]

I also think the Webster girls might just “run hot”, and when you add in the heat and humidity of FL, well, you get red cheeks-

I’d think if they were all continually sunburned, they’d be much more cranky, and far less compliant!

[UnicornHunter]

Her back to school post today she says Allie is second grade, she’s so young for second grade! She turned 6 4 months ago. I don’t see what the rush to push her through school is. My son is doing second grade work (we homeschool too) but his age puts him at starting first grade and I want him home as long as possible. I’ll blink and he will be 18 and leaving home.

[Bazinga]

Just now, UnicornHunter said:

Her back to school post today she says Allie is second grade, she’s so young for second grade! She turned 6 4 months ago. I don’t see what the rush to push her through school is. My son is doing second grade work (we homeschool too) but his age puts him at starting first grade and I want him home as long as possible. I’ll blink and he will be 18 and leaving home.

Yes I don't get this as well. Unless they think the faster they get through school the faster the kids will be out of the house. Or maybe they think they earn a special medal for finishing school early. 

I will play a little devil's advocate and say some kids are ready early. One of my children missed the kindergarten cut off by one week. She was already reading, writing letters, etc. Keeping her back a year would have been a shame. So I started her early. But she was literally a few days shy. Not newly 4 and starting kindergarten already. 

[Jackie3]

39 minutes ago, UnicornHunter said:

Her back to school post today she says Allie is second grade, she’s so young for second grade! She turned 6 4 months ago. I don’t see what the rush to push her through school is. My son is doing second grade work (we homeschool too) but his age puts him at starting first grade and I want him home as long as possible. I’ll blink and he will be 18 and leaving home.

I did the same thing with my own kid, and I'm glad I did. She'll be almost 19 when she starts college. It's been an advantage in almost every respect to be one of the older ones in her grade. She was academically advanced at 4, and could easily have started school, I felt the advantages of being an older kid in her grade  outweighed the risk she might be a bit bored. Years later, she loved being one of the kids who could drive in her sophomore year.  I'm especially glad to have had extra year with her! 

I think Alyssa starts her kids young because she wants people to think her kids are smart. Those Abeka videos are simple enough that a four-year can follow them, so it can be done with most kids. Remember, Alyssa doesn't have the fun of going into work and having people admire her cool new books or her awesome sales presentation. Her kids are her work product. She wants to hear "Wow, Allie can do cursive?" and "Lexi is reading already?" What else has she got?

21 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

Did anybody watched Alyssa's IG stories on the lake? The Webster girls looked sunburnt and it's not the first time. It's very strange that Alyssa does not put sunscreen on them. Maybe it is not because the sun, maybe their faces are red because they run very much, but the colour is suspicious.

Yes, I thought they looked incredibly red, too! And Alyssa didn't seem at all alarmed. If my child looked like that, I'd put a hat on them, and some sun screen. If the sun was really that strong, they'd be wearing rash guards. There are reasons to cover up besides modesty, Alyssa. 

10 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

You are right, eating is a good time to bond. But as other posters said, with 4 kids, standards relax. Anyway, it is important to look at a baby eating. Alyssa should have put the stroller in front of her, or at least turn it a little, to see Maci drinking. Even when Maci was a newborn, she bottlefeed her without looking at her, which wasn't fair at all (risk of choking). 

 

She always seems to feed Maci that way. John does it too. The baby's on her back, and they hold the bottle, often while looking away. It seems so cold and detached, the way a nanny in an institution might feed a baby. It doesn't seem loving. Plus, you miss the chance to cuddle!

[Heidijoey]

Alyssa said they joined a homeschool co-op and the girls will be going 1 day a week. Color me surprised!

[SassyPants]

1 hour ago, Heidijoey said:

Alyssa said they joined a homeschool co-op and the girls will be going 1 day a week. Color me surprised!

God help the kids Alyssa will be teaching- co-opts require parents to teach, right?

[artdecades]

I think the color is from the filter. Some of the more popular filters fundies use make everyone look ruddy. 

[Melissa1977]

9 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

God help the kids Alyssa will be teaching- co-opts require parents to teach, right?

As far as I know, parents not always teach. They can help in other ways. I hope 1 day turns into a couple days. They will have a good time for sure and make new friends. At 6 years old it must be sooo boring to stay at home all the time with the little sisters (despite loving them). But I bet the happiest will be Alyssa. 

[freethemall]

1 hour ago, Heidijoey said:

Alyssa said they joined a homeschool co-op and the girls will be going 1 day a week. Color me surprised!

I'm actually glad to hear that, anything sounds better than them sitting passively in front of Abeka videos all day then eating their white bread sandwiches. I hope she sees that homeschooling is more than just finishing workbooks and videos, at this age learning is often best when it's based on hands-on play and interaction, a mix of independent and social activities.

[JermajestyDuggar]

3 hours ago, UnicornHunter said:

Her back to school post today she says Allie is second grade, she’s so young for second grade! She turned 6 4 months ago. I don’t see what the rush to push her through school is. My son is doing second grade work (we homeschool too) but his age puts him at starting first grade and I want him home as long as possible. I’ll blink and he will be 18 and leaving home.

I think fundies do this because they want their kids to graduate early. It’s how they cut off homeschooling by years. She will do bare bones homeschooling and get Allie done by 15.5 so Allie can have time to homeschool the younger ones for her. 

[freethemall]

17 hours ago, Jackie3 said:

I'm no expert, but Alyssa and John don't really seem to know how to do social media. Or perhaps it's me. Is a "good" story one where the woman smirking and the man constantly giving a thumbs up? Do people enjoying watching that, over and over? 

I also get tired of seeing pictures of her coffee. I don't understand why it's so exciting that she bought an iced coffee.

I think a lot of us have noticed this over the years, and it's almost what's made her social media so fascinating - she tries so hard to be a influencer based on the examples she sees online, but is just not a natural at it and ends up coming off as a try-hard. For instance I remember when she started doing paid promotions a lot of us noticed how miserable she looked when the whole point was to seem enthusiastic about the product, but of course she reads here so she turned the smile on 100 for the ads. Now she is trying to show more housewifey posts especially with food because of feedback that all they do is go out for fast food, and more images of kid activities because otherwise the posts were all them ignoring the kids. In comparison, Josie and Carlin are much better at social media.

3 hours ago, UnicornHunter said:

Her back to school post today she says Allie is second grade, she’s so young for second grade! She turned 6 4 months ago. I don’t see what the rush to push her through school is. My son is doing second grade work (we homeschool too) but his age puts him at starting first grade and I want him home as long as possible. I’ll blink and he will be 18 and leaving home.

It's simple - the girls can graduate a year early to have more time to find a husband and get married (especially if they can go to a bible college a year early to find a suitor), so when they're engaged as early as 18 they can say they're soooooo mature they already graduated early. Or else have more time to help with the little kids Alyssa will inevitably have around that time (I dont believe for one second they're shutting down the baby factory until they either explicitly confirm using birth control or else something happens like with Erin).

[Jigsaw3]

Alyssa just said in her stories about homeschooling that she's putting them in for the socialization as well as the academic benefits, which is great.  And then she continues with : "They'll be able to be in groups with people with similar backgrounds... " yeah. That's the dog whistle right there. Can't have her precious kids mixing it up with kids from OTHER backgrounds. Maybe she just means "non-Christian" instead of being totally racist, but I'm not sure I can give her that much of the benefit of the doubt.

I actually am thrilled that she's putting them in a co-op. It will be great. I hope she continues with it throughout their homeschooling years; even if it just means that parents teach to their strengths, it's still better than one parent trying to teach it all (especially one who has been badly homeschooled herself.) Alyssa can teach chemistry and other parents can teach spelling. And if other parents decide to send their kids to a private Christian school eventually, maybe the Websters will follow suit.

[Kelly Jo was a chemistry TA in university, so I'm pretty sure the older Bateses had a decent chemistry education -- I think they were shown balancing chemical equations at one point. On the other hand, Alyssa thinks dining is spelt "dinning" so let's not have her teach English.]

I have family members who homeschooled and were very involved in a co-op, and I absolutely credit their co-op for giving their kids a good education. The teaching parent had respectable credentials in early childhood education so was a capable instructor for the younger grades, but the success their older children have had in a reputable college is almost entirely due to the co-op (and their parents' willingness to do the co-op work, obviously.) Their younger children haven't had the benefit of the co-op due to family issues and COVID, and I'm a lot more worried about their post-secondary success.

 

[SorenaJ]

I think Allie is one grade higher than usual so Alyssa can "prove" that homeschooling is the best. "Look at my kid, she is a grade higher than yours, and we homeschool, as opposed to you, sending your kids to horrible heathen state school. My kid is smarter than yours." 

[Melissa1977]

I don't think alyssa started homeschooling Allie early beause she wanted her marry soon or to pretend she's better than real teachers etc. From what I see, I'm sure she started soon for 2 reasons:

1.-people does that in her social circle, so she copied them

OR

2.-she desperately needed to keep th girl entertained. Remember, at the beginning there weren't schol videos, it was paper sheets and crafts.

Alyssa lives in the surface. There are no deep reasons in her decisions. What I like about her is that she seems to care for herself, which sometimes can be kinda selfish, but sometimes is good for her and her family. We all see she was overwhelmed and bored with the 4 girls at home, but she has found a solution with the co-op (happier mom, happier girls). She avoid pregnancy  when she was ill... Other fundies would have had a baby while they were sick, or would stay at home with the kids and be more and more frustrated. 

I think Alyssa is vain and dumb, but she protects herself, which somehow makes her smarter than other fundies.